No doubt, Microsoft Windows Small Business Server (SBS) has a loyal channel and a massive SMB installed base. But Zentyal, a Spain-based software company with International aspirations, is promoting an SBS alternative to VARs and managed services providers. The twist: Zentyal marries an on-premise Linux small business server with cloud computing.
Admittedly: I’ve seen dozens of open source alternatives to Microsoft SBS come and go over the years. Everyone from Novell to Xandros has made the Linux small business server pitch, but most customers and channel partners stuck with Microsoft. And Zentyal sounds vaguely familiar. In fact, it was previously branded as the eBox Platform. Zentyal estimates that there are roughly 50,000 active Zentyal server installations worldwide.
To the Cloud
To bolster that figure, Zentyal is adding a new twist to the conversation: A free, cloud-based disaster recovery service for the Zentyal servers. The effort involves a relationship between Zentyal and rsync.net, an offsite backup provider.
The backup service is configurable, according to Zentyal, but the default settings offer one initial full backup and one daily incremental backup for up to 10GB of data. The disaster recovery service is immediately available for Zentyal server users with commercial Zentyal server subscriptions.
Zentyal has a small but growing partner program, which includes traditional VARs as well as managed services providers.
Fierce Rivals
Despite the cloud backup strategy, Zentyal will continue to face growing competition on new fronts.
A few prime examples: Microsoft spent much of 2010 developing a Windows Small Business Server release code-named Aurora. The Aurora effort marries on-premise SBS with cloud services — including potential online backup integration.
Meanwhile, Intel has been developing a so-called Hybrid Cloud strategy. It apparently includes the choice of a Windows or Linux server, and connections to a range of cloud services.
Also, the cloud itself could pressure Zentyal. Some U.S.-based small business pundits, such as Karl Palachuk, have predicted that most small businesses will no longer buy servers as they increasingly shift applications to the cloud.
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As a small business service provider we have been watching this industry closely for the last couple of years. Our favorite small business server alternative is clearos. Their hybrid os approach is a combination of open source apps, delivery network, and cloud based applications. If a small business alternative is what you are looking for clearos is a great way to go. We have installed their solution in well over 60 customer locations and have been very happy with the solution and support.
Jim: I know the ClearOS folks pretty well. CEO is one heck of an entrepreneur. We’ll keep an eye on them. Thanks for taking the time to post your comment and share your experience.
-jp
Cloud computing will never go main stream for SMB’s less than 50 users. Simply the bandwidth and SLA required to ensure uptime is not affordable or feasible. Cloud computing does have one huge advantage, which SMB’s desperately need. Information Assurance and enterprise management of operating systems and applications. Question is whether SMB’s are willing to pay the price.
As systems are increasingly more complex and vulnerable due to mis-configurations. I find that implementing a SMB solutions such as Novell Small Business Server to be too time consuming for customers to justify the cost. Thus more and more SMB’s are switch to Microsoft due to the simple point and click nature. Which any techie with little to NO skill set can configure. My concern is whether the Microsoft solution is configured properly to address security concerns. Novell has failed to ensure simplicity of installation and configuration of their SMB solution. Most anyone with the skill set required to configure Novell SMB. Will most likely not be working in a SMB environment.
Hey, if it was easy the SMB market wouldn’t be the toughest market to penetrate.
Byron: I appreciate your readership and thanks for taking the time to share your opinions. But as co-founder of a small business, I respectfully disagree with your thoughts. SMBs with less than 50 users frequently are the PERFECT audience for cloud computing. We fit that description and every applications we leverage runs in the cloud.
I realize bandwidth and SLAs can vary depending on application, service provider and region. But our offices are in NY, Boston and Los Angeles for the most part. So bandwidth isn’t an issue and all of the SaaS apps we leverage hum right along.
Still, I do appreciate your thoughts. And I firmly agree with your opinion re: Novell in the small business market. I respect Novell but small business was never their strength.
-jp
I agree with Joe. I have 20 customers that have converted to some cloud base app this last year and they have all been extremely happy. In fact, cloud based apps have allowed them to actually use technology they couldn’t afford before.
The only cloud base apps we see a lot of problems with is voice over ip. This is mostly caused by poor bandwidth managing devices or carriers with inferior routing equipment. Solutions like skype have really come a long way. In fact, I have two customers that use only skype for phone service and they have been pleased with the quality.
Jim: Thanks for your insights. Funny you should mention VoIP. A growing list of vendors have contacted TalkinCloud about white label VoIP solutions for VARs and MSPs. But we have to check in with solutions providers to see how the services are performing.
-jp
I’d also like to add my vote for ClearOS as the best alternative to Microsoft’s Small Business Server. Just last year, a fellow consultant and I were evaluating eBox and ClearOS for a project with a large retail chain in North America. We were looking for a Linux-based solution to replace the core of their Windows infrastructure. We chose ClearOS for several reasons:
* ClearOS has an elegant interface that is highly intuitive and very easy to use.
* The pricing structure used by ClearCenter, the makers of ClearOS, is extremely beneficial to partners and their clients. For example, I recently helped a fellow consultant save his client $6,250 by using ClearOS to replace a Cisco router, Untangle UTM and Windows server.
* The ClearCenter team is ahead of the curve in terms of where the future for VARs and MSPs is headed. They already have an entire cloud-based infrastructure supporting ClearOS (their Service Delivery Network, which includes disaster recovery) and have already positioned themselves to integrate with other powerful cloud-based technologies such as Google Apps. ClearCenter is leading the way for what they call the Hybrid Service Provider. http://www.clearcenter.com/Partners/hybrid-service-provider-model.html. Joe, you’ll probably want to talk more with Michael Proper about this.
* The management, technical and development teams are outstanding. They are all committed to excellence.
* The ClearOS community forums provide fantastic support.
Over the past year, my team and I have performed 20 installations of ClearOS in 10 stores and we haven’t had any problems whatsoever from ClearOS. In fact, the uses for ClearOS keep growing and replacing other solutions.
In the past, I’ve used Novell’s OES server in a commercial environment and I was one of the beta-testers of Xandros’ XDMS Server (which I thought was pretty cool) but nothing has compared to the simplicity, manageability and affordability of the ClearOS solution. It just works.
I strongly encourage anyone looking for an alternative to Microsoft Small Business Server (or any other small business server) to examine ClearOS and consider partnering with ClearCenter. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made as a provider of IT services.
Alex: Thanks for your detailed thoughts on ClearOS. Are you associated with the company or an independent solutions provider? Keep us posted and thanks for sharing your views on TalkinCloud.
Joe Panettieri
Editorial Director
TalkinCloud
I have to agree with the above posters about ClearOS. I have been setting up clients with ClearOS for the past 4 years, and saved my clients thousands. At this point have only been using their free services and not done any subscription. Their product is very straight forward to configure and as stable as it gets. Take a look at their roadmap. If they get all those features in, I see no reason to ever use anything else. I have tried Zentyal, but I was not as impressed.
Joe, I’m an independent solutions provider. I’m not an employee of ClearCenter and I don’t receive any type of remuneration from them for being a ClearOS evangelist. To be perfectly clear, I don’t receive any type of remuneration from them at all. They have a great team and solution and I just think more people need to know about it.
In the same way, I’ve been sharing your sites with my colleagues as well. I’ve learned a great deal from the information you’ve shared in a very short time. I just found out about your sites several months ago and now I see them as an invaluable resources. So, thank you for sharing your time, energy and information with us. I really, really appreciate it.
Markd: Thanks for the insights
Alex: Thanks for describing who you are and what you do. Also, thanks for your thoughts on our blog efforts. I really appreciate your readership and feedback.
For those who haven’t seen our sites, Nine Lives Media Inc. has the leading blogs in the channel — http://www.TheVARguy.com, http://www.MSPmentor.net and now TalkinCloud.com. We also have some twitter channel syndication sites, http://www.VARtweet.com and http://www.MSPtweet.com.
-jp